Never Too Late
by FrankandJoe3
Summary: Robin and Batman get in a fight and Robin decides that he doesn't want to be a superhero anymore. Many Chaptered Song Fic to Never Too Late by Three Days Grace. Rated T for violence and cusswords
1. Chapter 1

**Honestly? I feel like shit. I'm sick, she flirts with him and he's been insulting himself. No matter how blue the sky is or how well the weather is, my heart is broken… I asked him if anyone could die of a broken heart. He said yes, suicide. Glad that we think the same *sniffle*. Oh well, so yeah, I promised this, didn't I? *Rams head against keyboard* Gah! I need him! *Tears fall* I need him… I need him… Three Days Grace, help me drown out my pain, even though I'd rather feel pain then nothing at all… **

**He wants to be an architect… (: He wants to build big tall houses and buildings… and I want to be a teacher… If I marry him, I hope that either we don't have kids or that our kids don't mind being left alone a lot… Meine Gott, I love him! ): **

**NEVER TOO LATE by Three Days Grace**

_**This world will never be what I expected**_

Robin stared in horror at the wooden door in front of his face.

"I… I just… I didn't… why…?" his voice broke, as did he.

He turned around and pressed his door to the wood and slid down to the ground and hugged his knees to his chest. He leaned his head gently against the wooden door, fighting to keep his eyes clear. It wasn't working. He heard a door slam so hard that he could feel it. That broke him. That door broke him. Tears flooded from his eyes and he lay there for a moment, fighting to know what to do next.

_I just… I… I can't stay here. I have to go. I'm only making things worse _he decided.

He weakly got to his feet, grabbing a bag from his closet and looking around the room. He didn't want anything. None of it was his. He sniffed hard as his tears fell heavier. He stumbled across the room to a small photo album he had been keeping. It opened it to the last page, the family picture he had taken with Batman. In anger, he ripped it out of its case and tore it in half. He tore himself into fourths and set the broken picture onto the dresser top, standing there, heavy tears hitting it. He grabbed the picture of Batman and put it back, another broken memory to have.

He picked up the book and set it in the bag, turning around further. He grabbed a couple pairs of jeans, some hoodies and some t-shirts, as well as his favorite sunglasses. He pulled his suit out of the dresser he had it in and folded it, setting it on the bed. He set his mask on top, his tears hitting it gently. He scrambled through his drawers until he found a notepad and a pen.

_Batman-_

_Thanks for nothing. Here's your STUPID suit back. Thought that you'd want it back. Thanks for ruining my childhood. You should've left me at the orphanage. At least there, I could've died with a lesser broken heart. The least you could've done for me is pretended as if you cared. That's what fathers are supposed to do, but you never were my father. I hate you. I HATE YOU. _

_-Richard Grayson_

His hand trembled as he wrote it and heavy tears blurred the ink, but he set it on top of his mask anyway, his body convulsing violently beneath his sobs. They got louder and he found himself forced to his knees. He ripped the computer from his wrist and set that down too. He didn't need it anymore. He took the utility belt off too and emptied its contents. He pocketed some objects, grasping the batarang so tight in his fist that he drew blood, not that it mattered anyway. He grasped the bed sheets and forced himself back to his feet, only to collapse onto the bed next to his bag.

_I have to run away. I have to… not that he'll care…_ Robin thought miserably.

He brought his hands up to support his head weakly.

_You have to stop crying Richard… you have to stop crying. You have to leave, now. _

He forced his breath to slow and he cleared his mind slowly until he was only aware of the sharp pain in his hand from the sharp edges of his batarang. He slipped his bag over his arm and walked over to the door and stared at it. Tears burned in his eyes, but he let them fall. He could still stand and that's all that mattered. He took the batarang and stabbed it deep into the wood of the door. He ripped the door open and walked down the hallway, passing Batman's now open door. He headed for the stairs, blood and tears dripping from his body. He walked down the steps, a slow pace to his walk. He passed by Alfred.

"Master Richard, where are you going?" Alfred asked, confused.

"I'm going. Goodbye Alfred," Robin choked out, his tears hard.

He felt a hand close down hard on his upper arm.

"Where do you think you're going?" Bruce Wayne's stone cold voice demanded to know.

"Anywhere but here," Richard growled, wrenching his arm from his former father's grasp.

"Robin, you can't," Bruce Wayne began.

"It's not Robin anymore. I'm Richard Grayson. I'm just an orphan boy who lost his parents in a freak circus accident," Richard snapped, his voice breaking as soft sobs took over his body again.

He began to walk again and opened the door to the house. He turned around one last final time.

"Goodbye Mr. Wayne. Thanks for your time," was all he said.

Bruce stared at him in shock, unable to grasp what was happening. Before he knew what was happening the front door was slammed and his baby boy was gone.

**Yeah, I'm making it a chapter story. Why? Because I fucking can. Yes, I'm crying, hard. Not for the reason you're thinking though… **

**~I'm blue… dabba dee, dabba die…~**


	2. Chapter 2

_**And if I don't belong who would have guessed it  
><strong>_

_I don't have Batman anymore… or Alfred… and I left behind my superhero life, so I don't have Wally anymore… who do I have left? No one… I have no one… I have nowhere to go…_

Tears still fell from Richard's blue eyes as he walked on the side of the gravel roads, wandering, lost. He had no where left to go. He had no one left to go. He could trust no one. He just kept walking, hearing the sound only of his own soft sobs and the crunching of the gravel beneath his feet.

_I'm just a useless surplus. I'm an extra. The word doesn't need me anymore… can I go back to the orphanage? No, that's going to be the second place Batman looks, the first being Mount Justice… What do I care? Where do I go? Well… there has to be somewhere that surpluses and extras go…_

He felt in his pocket for his cell phone which he had turned off long ago. He knew that it'd be stupid, but he knew what to do. It was really stupid, but he knew what to do. He turned it on quickly and dialed a number that he had memorized.

"H-Hello…?"

"Hey… it's Robin… can you… do me a favor?" he asked, his sobs making it hard to talk.

"Robi-… oh… are you okay? Wha- why the hell are you calling me? It's like, half past midnight!"

Richard wiped tears from his eyes.

"I don't have time. I'll explain later. Can you meet me at that gas station down in Gotham?"

"Ugh… only 'cause I love ya… be there in thirty minutes."

"Thanks."

Richard turned the phone off again and stared at it.

_He could be tracking my cell phone…_Richard frowned and dropped the phone to the ground and smashed it hard beneath his sneakers.

_There, problem solved… now to go to Gotham… _

The boy just continued walking down the road, his tears glistening in the feint moon light. Passing cars watched him carefully, but no one slowed. Even if they had, Richard would have declined their rides. He was walking to Gotham. If his friend couldn't help him, then he just didn't fit in anymore. He still had the objects from his utility belt if all else failed. Just place one on his tongue, close his mouth and death would be peaceful he supposed. It was simple and painless. His eyes would just close and he'd never wake up again. He'd go somewhere that he fit in. He'd be where he belonged… unless his friend helped him, which he doubted.

"I'm a fugitive… he won't help me," Richard thought to himself, depressed.

His hand still throbbed, but he ignored it. The bloody trail on the gravel would soon fade and Batman would never find his little Robin again.

_It's what you get, asshole… You don't grow a tree for a long while only to chop it down. You don't fill a child with false hopes, only to say that everything he knew is wrong… _

He found a sneeze suddenly sound and echo about the darkness.

"Bless you…" he whispered to himself, knowing that no one else would tell him that.

He just kept walking until he saw a sign that gave him hope.

_Gotham City: 4 miles_. He was getting there…

**Tears hurt, blood hurts, but my friend's coming over… she'll ease my pain… **


	3. Chapter 3

_**I will not leave alone everything that I own  
><strong>_

Richard finally saw it up ahead. All that walking was worth it. All of the pain left on his face for the moment was the few stray tears and the heavy tear path, as well as the blood that now stained his jean leg. He continued walking.

_Please… be here…_ he thought hopefully.

He scanned the area around him, but the blue Chevy was nowhere to be seen. Tears resurfaced in Richard's eyes.

_I didn't think so… _

He sat down along the edge of the gas station store which was closed for the night. He set his bag beside him and pulled out the book of memories that he had. He tried to look through them, but it only broke his heart further. He couldn't breathe any longer. He hugged the book tight to his chest.

_Don't worry_ he thought to himself. _I won't leave you alone book… I'll protect you… you're all I have left…_

He reached into his pocket and found the small strip inside of its case. The note on the front said in plain letters: **Lethal, do not ingest under any circumstances**.

_Screw that_ Richard thought to himself, slowly slipping the strip from its case.

Before he could open his mouth though, he heard a horn honk. He looked up only to see a blue Chevy parked in front of him. It turned off and someone climbed out. Richard pocketed the strip again and put the book away, standing up slowly. He saw the familiar face of his red headed best friend and stared sadly. The red head approached Richard quickly and looked him down.

"Rob… is… is everything okay?"

Tears fell again from Richard's eyes and he let his head hang down.

"Dude, what happened?" Wally asked, running up to his best friend.

Richard just shook his head, clutching the strap to his bag tightly in his non bleeding fist. Wally got closer.

"Robin please, what happened? Why are you crying… where's your sunglasses and mask?"

Richard tackled his best friend in a tight hug, pressing his eyes into the soft, sweet smelling fabric of Wally's shirt. Wally flinched. He wasn't so much a touchy-feely guy with other guys, but Robin was an exception. He wrapped an arm around him and hugged him close.

"Why am I here?" Wally asked the quivering form of his best friend.

Richard forced up his head and released Wally.

"I need you to…" his voice broke off.

"To…?" Wally repeated, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Save… me…"

Wally felt his heart shatter within the confines of his chest. He nodded and took Robin's bag from his hands weakly. He helped Robin to his parent's truck and opened the passenger's door. Richard climbed in. Wally closed the door and climbed into the driver's door, handing Richard his bag back. Richard clutched it to his chest.

_This bag… this stupid bag… and this book… this stupid book… they're all I own… all I have left… how unfair_… Robin frowned hard, his chin quivering, ready for sobs again, but he held them back as he buckled his seatbelt.

He felt his best friend's eyes on him. Richard broke again and just sat there, sobbing gently. Wally put the car in drive and turned back onto the road, passing a speeding black car that took off at the speed of light it seemed. The man driver seemed to be in a hurry, now a mere dot in the distant.

_I wonder who that is…_ Wally thought, a frown on his face. _And why are they in such a hurry? It's as if it's the end of the world to them… Jeez…_

Little did he know, it was, in a matter of speaking. The driver of the car had just left his house in a blind rage. His whole world had just left him, and he had to find him, before it was too late.

**In case you're too stupid to figure it out, Batman's driving… :/ **


	4. Chapter 4

**I was brushing my teeth a few seconds ago, kinda upset, but not all too. When I spit into the sink, I nearly screamed. The sink was suddenly dyed red from my spit! I had a mini heart attack, convinced that I was spitting out my own blood. I stuck out my tongue and it was as scarlet as the fresh blood on my arms. My heart attack lasted on, until I remembered that I had just drank some fruit punch. My throat is now raw and I'm still scared sick… Spit isn't supposed to be that color… D:**

_**To make you feel like it's not too late**_

Wally shoved Richard silently down the hall into his room before quietly easing the door shut behind him. He then proceeded to pull Richard along with him before forcing him down onto the quilted bed. The ebony haired boy sat there, paralyzed almost, clutching his bag in a death grip. His eyes stared forever forward, or so it seemed. Wally sat down beside him, watching him for a moment in silence. He then eased the bag from the heartbroken boy's arms and set it on the floor.

He forced his arms to his side and unclenched the boy's fists with great difficulty. Richard never stopped staring forward, his depressened eyes deep and never ending. The red head wasn't sure exactly how to comfort his friend. Robin had never really shown sadness or anger when he was around, and when he had, he had instantly cheered up. Seeing his best friend like this was as rare as seeing Batman smile. Neither happened very often.

"Rob… please… what happened? I can't help you if I don't know what happened!" he insisted.

The blue eyed boy's lips parted again, but this time, he planned to speak. Wally was right. If he didn't say, then how could Wally help him? It wasn't the concept of telling Wally that scared him though; it was the idea of freely giving out his trust. He didn't often give his trust to people, now included. He took a deep breath and willed his voice.

"Batman and I… we got… into a… fight," he said slowly, his words feeling foreign to his lips.

He had become used to the hot tears running down his cheeks by now. They were just a minor distraction. Wally's eyes widened and he rose an eyebrow.

"A fight? No, you fight with me on a regular basis. Fights aren't bad. I'm detecting an argument, a war, an onslaught, a massacre! Not just a fight causes you to come to me, sobbing your eyes out!" Wally cried, using a soft tone as to not awaken his parents.

Richard's eyes didn't lighten.

"Onslaught is a good word to describe it… just an argument though… definitely not a… not feeling the aster…" his voice trailed and his eyes grew dim.

Wally was glad to see that his friend was still messing with words, even through a heart ache.

"Details on the Batman Onslaught of 2011? This is a test I didn't study for…"

Richard's eyebrows rose slightly, but he shrugged it off.

"I… yeah… details…. Um…"

XxXxX

_~Flashback~_

Robin collapsed to the ground, his muscles aching heavily. His shoulder stung angrily, but he couldn't give up yet. He forced himself to his feet, despite his nerve racking pain. He reached into his utility belt and grabbed something useful to him, throwing it at the ground. It shielded him for seconds in heavy, billowing smoke, giving him time to flee. It wasn't enough time though. He felt a heavy forced kick land to his back and he was thrown back to the ground, the wind knocked from his chest. He knew that Batman was watching though, and he couldn't leave his teammates to fight alone. Last time he did that, Kaldur got the spotlight and he didn't want that.

"Come on Rob!" KF's words of encouragement rang through Robin's ears.

He nodded slightly and rose to his feet with a heavy wince. Their opponent in this training simulation wasn't that big, wasn't nearly as powerful as T.O. Morrow or as devious as Cheshire, but he was definitely crafty. He used objects in the simulation as distractions and hid himself carefully. He attacked from afar, or so it seemed, only coming out every once in a while to attack those who he knew didn't see him or weren't ready to fight back, like Robin. Robin seemed to be his main victim. Robin saw the man now, hiding in plain sight.

"Back of the room, behind the red building!" Robin called out to his teammates.

They all followed his directions and from the sounds of it, they landed a good hit or two before the man got away again and disappeared. They all scanned the room, lost. Robin, not wanting to get kicked again, grabbed his grappling hook and shot up into the sky, viewing the ground. Just as he had suspected, the man wasn't far from his spot.

"Your four, by the bushes," he said into his communicator before going after the man himself.

He managed to kick the guy to the ground, but only barely. His foot stung from the huge drop, but he had handled worse. He stepped off of the man and moved out of the way of Artemis and her arrow, but only barely. The man on the ground was quickly covered in a make-shift net of some sort. A beeping sounded and the lights snapped back on. The illusions of the buildings and the bushes and the street faded, only to be replaced by a huge, open blue field of tiles. Batman and Black Canary stood at the edge, neither looking necessarily pleased. Batman had his arms folded over his chest, but he never looked happy to be there so it was no change.

"We're not happy," Black Canary began.

Wally nudged his best friend.

"Are they ever?" he muttered beneath his breath.

Robin bowed his head to hide a grin.

"You took far too long. What was the problem?"

"The man kept avoiding us and disappearing. We did not think to have someone scan the skies for him to cut our time. I am sorry," the leader of their small team apologized.

Batman nodded solemnly.

"It is not your apology we are seeking. Miss Martian, Superboy; you both could get higher then the rest of the team. Why did you not think to search for the enemy?" Batman asked the two technical aliens in the corner of the room.

Superboy just turned his head from their leaders, silent as ever. Megan rubbed her arm nervously.

"We uh… we didn't think to… I didn't think to…" she stuttered out softly.

"Exactly, you didn't think. You were too busy worrying for the others. Normally, that's a good thing, but the best thing to do would have been to assist in the enemy's capture," Black Canary scolded the green skinned girl.

Her face flushed red in embarrassment and she sunk her head.

"Yes ma'am," she muttered, her heart heavy.

"Aqualad and Kid Flash; your heads were out of it. Your hits were less then as effortful then normal. If you're going to be heroes, get your head in the game or get out of the game entirely," Batman scolded them.

Their heads fell, but they nodded. Artemis tightened her grip on her bow, waiting to get scolded, but not a word slipped from the League member's lips involving her. She felt sort of proud of herself at that, but she could tell that the rest of the team was upset and she knew better then to run it in now. She could wait until later when they had almost forgotten about it. Robin looked up at his mentor, his eyes nervous.

"Robin, I need to speak with you, alone. The rest of you, hit the showers, and prep for another training session in an hour."

They all nodded and walked off, even Black Canary. Robin adjusted his mask before turning his attention back to his mentor as he approached him. Before Batman could open his mouth to tell him what he had done wrong, Robin beat him to it.

"I know I messed up. I should've known that the man was behind me half of the times that he was and I should've thought to look for him from above way earlier. I'm sorry," he said out in a hurry.

Batman's eyes widened, but they went back to their normal narrowed state before Robin took notice.

"Not only that. You too were too careless. You should've been able to defend yourself against half of those impacts. Though I do admit someone must have gotten careless in planning this because the man did seem to target you mostly…"

Robin frowned and set a hand weakly to his warm neck.

"I noticed. I tried to avoid him and fight back, but I'm not Superboy if you haven't noticed. I'm just Robin you know, a little bird, a family name. I wasn't meant to be super strong. I'm only thirteen, after all. But I won't make the mistake again. I will get stronger," Robin promised.

Bruce stiffened at the mention of the family name. He remembered that fateful day. A smile couldn't have fought its way to his lips even if it was armed with a grenade launcher, fully loaded. His frown deepened. So did Robin's as his gaze avoided his mentor's eyes.

"The bad guy was designed to go after the weakest or most vulnerable member of the team. Robin, what's wrong? They've never gone after you before in the training sessions."

_Weakest… Most vulnerable… _the words echoed in the blue eyed boy's ears.

"I just… it's different… working on a team," he admitted.

Batman's eyes narrowed further, if that was even possible.

"How is it any different?"

"Because on a team..." Robin sighed. "Never mind, you aren't on a team anyway, so you wouldn't get it. You _work alone_."

"I work on a team," Batman argued, his voice as gravelly as ever. "The Justice League is a team."

Robin shrugged. "You don't work with them. You do all of your stuff off on your own and you taught me to do the same! How do you expect me to work on a team when I was never taught?"

Batman detected anger in Robin's voice, but he didn't care for it.

"You worked on a team growing up."

Robin's frown widened at the circus reference.

"It was family and there were only three of us. I never even fully worked with them until I was nine! That's not the same as working on a team of six! That's four more then I'm used to!"

Batman folded his arms over his chest.

"If you're trying to say something, quit using word puzzles and say it," he commanded.

"I'm not _trying_ to say anything. I AM saying something. If you don't get it, it's not my fault."

"We can discuss this when we get home. Go hit the showers."

Robin tightened his hands into fists and nodded. He wanted nothing more then to argue, but he obeyed Batman as he always had. He never truly had been punished for not obeying, but he was afraid that if he didn't, he would be. Batman's eyes fell on the tightly clenched fists, and his suspicions were confirmed. Tonight wouldn't be a good one, but it was obvious Robin had something to say and Batman knew better then to not listen. Last time he hadn't heard Robin out, Robin sought out the Italian boss, Tony Zucco and ended up saving his life, but getting hurt in the process. He couldn't risk that again. If he had known what Robin had to say though, he wouldn't have let Robin speak at all.

**Thank you to Emerald Lotus for showing me 'A Matter of Family'. Even though I hate how they gave Robin green eyes, it was still amazing how they finally showed all of Robin's past in a cartoon and explained things that even I didn't know. **

_**All my friends say…**_** that I'm depressed, angry and insane… and that I need a counselor… Even the guy I like agrees with 3 out of the 4, the only one he didn't believe being angry. **

_**This is your life in song. This is Country Music. **_

**-FrankandJoe3**


End file.
